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A loan officer must decide whether to lend $8 million to a rapidly growing, high technology company. The company has had a series of relationships with three other banks. Reports from loan officers at these banks are mixed and raise questions as to the ease with which a relationship would proceed. The full range of issues must be considered in evaluating the credit worthiness (character, collateral, capacity, conditions, pricing). The loan officer must also determine how much weight to place on a comfort letter from a major pharmaceutical firm.

The case provides students with (1) an understanding of the essence of long-term financial health; (2) familiarity with the calculation and meaning of various financial ratios; and (3) an understanding of the influence of a company's operating and competitive characteristics on its investment in various type assets, on the profitability of these investments, and on the financial structure of its balance sheet. The case also allows a discussion of (1) the incomplete and lagging nature of financial measures; (2) the influence of financial measures on behavior; and (3) the reality that financial analysis often results in better, more focused questions to be asked of management, not conclusive answers.